Anakin sat in the cockpit of his fighter, an aging Raylon R-4. A product of one of the Hutt's spurts of expansion several centuries ago the Raylons were durable, rugged fighters now found everywhere in Hutt space and still used by those potentates too cheap to upgrade their defence forces to more modern craft. Or desperate revolutionaries needing anything that flew. The R-4 was underpowered, poorly shielded and simply outperformed by the current renaissance in fighter design. The dual rotary blasters were new though. Anakin was sure they would be a surprise for any opponent. He looked out of the cockpit at the swirling blue streams of hyperspace as he tried to make sense of recent events.
Anakin looked suspiciously at the two humans opposite him. The first, Bron was, if not a friend then at least an associate. He was a local enforcer in Mos Espa. Anakin knew him to be generally clued in to what was going on. Normally, what with the recent troubles it was fair to say that no one had any idea what was going on anymore. The other was a woman dressed like a merc and armed with two blasters. While attractive, the look she gave him, as if he was something unpleasant she had just stepped on outside had Anakin filing her under 'do not annoy'.
"Why do you want me?" said Anakin dubiously.
"Because you're the best at anything mechanical. This cache has some mechanical locks to bypass. Jabba was a total paranoid." said Bron waving his arms.
"And your new friend can't blast her way in?" said Anakin indicating the mystery woman.
"And risk every other looter coming down on top of us? With you it can be done quietly. We get in. You open the locks and Cass here takes care of the other problems." said Bron.
The woman nodded.
"So, what's your angle?" Anakin said cautiously to her.
The woman shrugged. "I've been stuck n this dump ever since the Jedi. This sounds like a good payday to get out of here." she said.
Well, that sounded reason enough. The chaos caused by the Jedi assassination squad had left many stranded.
"So what's in it for me?" said Anakin.
Bron's eyes lit up as he realised Anakin was in and began to outline the plan.
"We'll share it out equally, this is what we do..." he began.
Entry into the abandoned crime lord's palace was surprisingly easy. The only thing to fight was the noisome stench and clouds of insects. The complex had already been looted of everything easily accessible. The trio warily proceeded deep inside towards the secure vault. Once there Anakin got to work examining and finding a way past the mechanism. It took several a final click, the vault was unlocked. Anakin stretched painfully after being crouched over the intricate device.
"Alright, now it should open." he said.
All three humans strained against the massive door lever more suited for a giant. Eventually it moved and the door opened. Inside were boxes and caskets. The humans moved quickly inside. Anakin opened a small box. Inside were gemstones and gold chains. On impulse he stuffed a fistful into a pocket.
"What are you doing, ya dummy? Help me find a lifter and we can get this all out." said Bron.
A short search revealed such a device half buried under the most recent crates the late slug had brought in here. Piling it high the two men began pushing it towards the exit while the woman, Cass covered them. Nearing the exit Anakin could see several forms. They seemed to be raising blasters. Anakin took cover behind the lift pallet as Cass dove for the cover of a buttress, twin blasters firing. A scream near the entrance indicated she had scored a hit. As Anakin mostly kept his head down the duel continued, bolts criss-crossing the intervening space. Smoke began filling the area obscuring almost everything. It did not obscure Bron, who turned and shot Cass. The woman collapsed. Anakin stared at Bron as the blaster fire died down.
"What the hell are you..." Anakin began.
"Hey Bron. Did you get them both?" called a voice from down the tunnel.
As Bron turned towards him Anakin raised his blaster. He did not fire. How could he. He knew Bron. Well, he thought he did.
"What's going on?" Anakin said.
Bron sneered and laughed.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm making the best deal for me. That means getting rid of..." he began before being cut off by Anakin shooting him in the chest dead.
Anakin stared at the blaster as Bron's corpse toppled over. The impulse to fire had come from, where? While he had been in a few fights before he had never killed anyone, up close.
"Is that the last of them now Bron?" called a voice.
"Yes, just taking care of the mechanic." said Anakin back, imitating Bron. "Could you come down here? Need help with the weight on this thing."
Two figures appeared, detaching themselves from the shadows. Anakin gulped, took aim and fired. His target fell. The other ran forward firing.
"Bron, you dirty double..." he screamed before Anakin's second shot cut him off.
Anakin stared at all the bodies in shock, dropping the blaster in an attempt to disassociate himself from all the killing. He looked at the float pallet wondering what to do. It was at that point that Cass groaned, she was still alive! Anakin looked at her, then to the pallet piled high with wealth. Anakin walked over and stuffed a few more handfuls of valuables into pockets. He then shoved the crates off the pallet before lifting Cass onto the vacated space. He then pushed her to the float van. Once she was inside Anakin hotwired the vehicle and drove back to Mos Espa.
"You're such an idiot." said Cassandra weakly as Anakin brought her a bowl of soup. She sat up and regarded her rescuer. Just another sandworm, or so she had thought. He had for some reason taken her back and seen to her recovery rather than leave her to die while making off with a small fortune. It was what she would of done.
Anakin handed her the bowl and a spoon.
"Yeah. You say that every day." he said running his hand through his hair.
"You could of at least kept one crate." Cassandra said as she sipped at the soup.
"You say that every day too." said Anakin with a sigh. He sat down on the chair beside the bed.
"I would of left you to die. You know that, don't you. Wouldn't of given it a second thought. So would anyone else on this dustball. So Anakin, why? Why be a damn fool?" she said between slurps.
Anakin looked at the woman. The ablative plate in her chest armour had absorbed the majority of the blaster's energy leaving her in need of urgent medical assistance rather than killing her. Anakin had patched her up and was nursing her back to health, why? Cassandra was beautiful, in that ethereal, perfectly symmetrical way that spoke of biosculpting, but so what? With even a fraction of what he had foolishly pushed aside Anakin could of had no trouble getting passage off world and what was exotic on Tatooine was almost average elsewhere. So why? Why save her? Why squander so much of what he had taken on rare medical supplies to treat her?
"Dunno." he said standing back up and walking to the door. As he reached it he looked back. "I guess you're right. I'm just a damn fool." he added before leaving and closing the door.
Cassandra looked at the door for a while.
"Thank you." she said.
Cassandra watched Anakin's antics from the room's only couch. He had adopted a feet apart pose and clumsily attempted to draw his blaster.
"Do ya feel lucky, punk?" Anakin said affecting a bad Corellian accent once the blaster was out.
Cassandra snorted, trying to suppress laughter.
"What, are you doing?"
Anakin looked over at her.
"I'm on patrol duty tonight. Folks round here are going round in pairs just keeping an eye on things. Make sure no trouble happens." he said, the last part affecting the same mangled accent.
"And what will you do if trouble happens, terrorise them with bad holo lines?" said Cassandra smiling.
Anakin glowered. "What do you suggest?" he said.
Cassandra reached out an arm. "Here help me up." she said.
Anakin helped the mercenary to her feet. Cassandra wobbled a bit as she walked round behind him. She reached along his arm and guided it into a better position.
"There level with your eyes, use the sight." she said quietly. "Alright, while staying steady squat down. Staying in cover is important."
Cassandra attempted to squat, guiding Anakin but her left leg gave way and she began to fall. Anakin spun and caught her inches before she hit the floor. How? No one was that fast. No one human.
"Sorry." she said looking into his eyes.
"No problem." he said and helped her up.
Then he was kissing her. Cassandra matched his affection, wrapping her arms around him. Eventually they separated to breathe.
"So, what now?" he said.
"Go on patrol. Stay safe. When you get back, we'll talk." she said.
They disentangled themselves. Anakin headed out leaving the mercenary wondering what the hell she was doing.
The meeting hall was crowded. People shouted back and forth. Anakin shifted uncomfortably. Why was he here? This meeting was going nowhere like the others. He tried closing his eyes.
"So we get some patrols." came Cassandra's voice reminding Anakin why he now came to these meetings. He didn't think you could run a town the same as a merc crew, but she was determined to do so. He wasn't entirely sure why she was doing this. He suspected it was boredom. Finding something to do while recovering in Mos Espa had been difficult. So, she had insisted Anakin help her to the town meetings. Cassandra was argumentative and enjoyed thrashing out the details of making the community work. Now it was her dragging him along. Anakin tended to sit at the back.
From there the movement had rapidly grown as the patrols saw to maintaining peace and other towns joined. Tired of being under the thumb of little more than criminals it did not take much to convince them to join. Anakin found himself roped into setting up the starport and getting the aging interceptors spaceworthy.
"Why did you stay?" asked Anakin one night.
"I don't like to see a job unfinished. You got me back on my feet. I'm just returning the favour." replied Cassandra.
"Is that all?" he said walking over to her.
"Well, maybe there is something else." she said wrapping her arms round him.
A month later they were married. A whirlwind romance, everyone had said. Even his family had attended, believing him to taking life responsibly had mended relations there. Life was looking up.
Then the Exchalali had arrived. While welcome as allies their leader was another matter. She had run down the ramp and kissed him like some heroine out of a holo. Who was she? Why did she act like she knew him? He had tried ignoring her, working on the fighters helped but still, he couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. He had foolishly tried confronting her, alone. What had he been thinking? He was now a married man!
"Get a grip on yourself Skywalker." he muttered.
Anakin tried reviewing the mission, not an easy task when it had been her delivering the briefing. Which was strange as well. She had often stared at him while indicating targets and where she expected the enemy to reinforce and hold. The look had been alarmingly predatory. He could of sworn he had heard her say ' Your mine.', but that was crazy. She had been detailing what little armour support would be present.
"Am I going crazy?" he said and shook his head. Anakin tried watching the swirls of hyperspace to distract him.
With a flash of light the ships appeared above Carrinos. the three cruisers forming a wedge and the fighters fanning out in front. A challenge in Huttesse came over the comm.
Artura marched over to the comm station and engaged in a tersely worded argument in Huttese with the challenger. Afterwards she cut the comm and walked back to where she had been standing besides, her. She ignored the looks of surprise and shock from everyone on the bridge.
"Didn't have you pegged as someone fluent in the slug's lingo." said Cassandra.
"Know thine enemy." said Artura.
"And know thine self if you would win a hundred battles." completed Cassandra.
"Yes, we should be about winning this one." said Artura. She turned and began walking off the bridge. As the door opened she bellowed "Squire!"
"What do you think?" asked Artura as Karan helped her into the armour.
"Your plan's good. We should hold the essential structures quickly." said Karan.
"That's not what I mean and you know it." said Artura.
Karan sighed. "Despite everyone's uncanny resemblance to people they remember, they are not them. Cassandra is not Isolde. Anakin is not Gwyned. He's not a Jedi Knight either." he said.
"So why are they all here? Why is this all playing out again?" said Artura.
"Have you considered you could take this as an opportunity for redemption. Put right the mistakes you made. Hand." said Karan. Artura raised her hand and he fitted the gauntlet.
"That would require admitting I was wrong when I now know I was right." said Artura stiffly.
"Then you are wasting an opportunity no one else gets. I've read about you. I am willing to believe that you were a lot more terrible than what was written down. Your story is one of bloodshed and conquest that we have dressed up as romantic heroism." said Karan.
"Ha! I knew I liked you. I was terrible, and cruel. I also liked it." said Artura.
"And did it get you everything you wanted Artura? I know the tale. How it ends." said Karan.
The red and black armour did not allow it's wearer to slouch or slump.
"You always take her side. Padme wants me to forgive and forget too." said Artura accusingly. she nearly spat 'Forgive'.
"That's not true Artura."
"You are a poor liar. Hand me my weapon." ordered Artura.
Karan did so. Artura then donned and fixed her helmet in place before wordlessly turning and leaving.
"I am not lying to either of you." said Karan to the closed door.